Condemnation:
by Keira B
Summary: Explaining the 'how' and 'why' of Eien's final fall from grace, and Ely's last show of faith in man.


**Hi, guys!**

Welcome to my first publishing.

As a brief overview, this isn't meant to be an introduction to anything. Originally, I had planned to write one story to explain a certain part of two of my characters' background/relationship. Just as an informative thing for a few friends of mine as well as just to practice writing.

So if you read this, you'll be jumping into a story about two characters you don't really know, but if you can handle that, great.

The two main characters are my originals; **Ely Hatter Monteblanc** and **Eien Orr Samhael**.

Ely is a half-elf; based on this fact alone, she has faced much discrimination as well as prejudiced treatment. Full-blooded elves see the half's almost as a symbol of foolhardiness, fickleness, and other such things. Humans see them almost as a joke. Men in particular have a keen love of the '_female variety'_ of half-elves because of their better human nature mixed with longevity of youthful looks. Thus, Ely grew up quite detached from society for the better part of her life. She is good-hearted, but with a corrupted self-image based on the treatment she received before entering college. At eighteen, being a freshman in college, Ely became acquainted with Eien and has since grown very close.

Eien is a human, and with all the characteristics of the kind of guy to avoid, especially for people like Ely. Sneaky, too smart for his own good, and downright sadistic, Eien is entirely self-serving. His sophomore year, he met Ely; he'd been with many girls before her, of course, just as simple past times, but none ever provided as much of a challenge as the little half-elf. Becoming so intrigued by her that he spent the better part of a year getting to know her in his attempt to seduce her, Eien has found himself driven mad over this woman and although he feels compelled to continue his usual routine of seduce, sleep with, and dismiss, something about Ely just has a little voice of the subconscious nagging at the back of his mind that maybe…just maybe what he's doing is wrong.

_Anyway…_

This was meant to be one post all together, but…it came out a little too long. So I'm going to go ahead and post the first chapter of what I hope will be no longer than three chapters…

And I have no beta. Just my own two eyes, and lovely little tools like spell check… So if it becomes too atrocious…

Please don't kill me. ;3

By the by.

This entire story is set to the song 'Lux Aeterna' by Clint Mansell. It is an absolutely amazing song; you may have heard it in a movie called 'Requiem for a Dream' or the waiting screen in the PS2 game 'Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers' or whatever it's called. _**I own none of these.**_

_Enjoy._

*~*~*

It was the night of the performance.

Tonight's piece...

A rendition of Lux Aeterna.

Waiting backstage as the other performer's tuned and tweaked their instruments, the lone violinist waited against the building's cold brick walls. Verdant eyes scanned the empty stage, hidden behind the grand drapes of the performance hall's stage. Something about an empty stage excited her...yet frightened her all at once. It was a lonely scene, yet so peaceful.

Her thoughts were interrupted as thunder cracked outside the building, causing the building to tremor slightly whereas the black-clad violinist jumped, nearly catapulting herself away from the wall. After catching her breath for a moment, the half-elf spun to face the wall, her chocolaty waves jostling in the process.

Originally, she had planned to resume her spot against the wall but, to her surprise, said spot was taken by a tall, dark figure of a man. Blinking once in shock, Ely felt her heart skip a beat as the shadowed man stepped into a shaft of light, revealing himself. A familiar face.

"Ah, Eien...you scared me for a minute." Ely's full lips spread into a smile as the man dubbed Eien stepped closer to her, his own visage split into a grin. Bending at the waist, Eien proceeded to snake his strong arms about her midsection, pulling the short woman into a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry... I only meant to surprise you." Eien's voice was dark but playful, letting onto his sincerity while hinting at other venues of intent. Deciding not to read into this, the half-elf glanced up at the man, studying his appearance with a slight smile.

Tall, dark, and handsome was a perfect stereotype for Eien in the lightest sense.

Standing at 6'2", Eien easily towered over many of his fellow classmates at Vanishing University. He was lean, with a good amount of muscle, and his body was overall well taken care of. His skin, clear and healthy, was a light bronze color, mostly natural with a hint of summer sun glowing in it. Eien's hair, more often than not, was very well groomed; jet-black with a high sheen, he often had his near-shoulder length tresses swept back into a low ponytail, with a few stray bangs hanging about his face. However, what captivated the quiet half-elf most about the man were his remarkable eyes.

His eyes, a dark sapphire almost cobalt in hue, were piercing and almost intimidating. Darkly lined with thick, black lashes, his eyes could lower some of the strongest guards people could put up, as well as make people exceedingly uncomfortable... Ely had dealt with this many times before. Even so, she would often find herself completely absorbed into the deep blue depths occasionally, her thoughts wrought with curiosity, among other things...

Catching the freshman's emerald irises locked onto his own eyes, Eien smirked lightly.

"Are you staring at me?"

Slightly taken aback by the sudden break in silence, Ely really did stare at the older man for a second before laughing to herself and shaking her head at him.

"No, actually, I just zoned out..." Ely admitted sheepishly.

"Uh huh. Well, since you stared, I get my turn, too, don't I?" Eien teased lightly, his arms unwinding from her, his hands rising to lightly grip her upper arms as he held her body away from his, scanning it over once or twice.

Ely was short, standing somewhere around 5'2"; her frame was small, carrying a supple amount of weight. Not too thin, the weight coasted lightly around her frame; the curves were smooth and even. A woman of her size that would be considered 'in shape' would have protruding hip and rib bones, but Ely's were not visible. Her upper body was narrow and feminine, her torso a bit more elongated than average, giving her a drop-waisted shape with wider hips and short legs. Her arms, long and slender were bare, as were her shoulders; the dress she wore for the performance that was a strapless empire waist, simple and black, and hung to her knees. Matched with the dress was a pair of simple black heels.

Smirking, Eien reeled Ely back into his arms, resting his head atop her mess of chocolate waves; her hair was long and wild, usually hanging to her lower back but tonight, she wore it up in a messy bun, some of her bangs hanging in a side-swept wave.

"Beautiful," Eien murmured, lightly twirling the half-elf around once before pulling her into a close embrace once again. His mind, all awhirl, cleared momentarily; just long enough for him to calculate an idea. Smiling down at Ely with a curiously wicked glint to his sapphire orbs, Eien began a seemingly aimless waltz.

"So…performance, dinner, then…?" Eien trailed off suggestively.

"Then _home_," Ely finished his sentence with a curious smile, seeming playful yet admonishing all at once as she swayed along blindly with his movements. Only a moment too late did she realize where he had moved the waltz. Back up against the wall, Ely glanced away shyly as Eien tightened his hold on her, leaning in closer to the half-elf.

"My home…?" Eien breathed, his lips practically brushing the fine points of her ears. At the sound of a rumbling thunderclap, the man's hands slipped out from behind her back, gripping her upper arms once before slipping down to grasp her wrists as he stepped in closer, effectively pinning her to the cold, stone wall.

Her nerves jumped wildly, his breath hot against her sensitive ears; the closer he got, the more alert her nerves became and the more she wished to sink into the wall.

"E-Eien…," the half-elf's weak voice barely escaped in a strangled whisper. Glancing up at the second-year, Ely attempted to smile and pull her hands away, but…it seemed almost as if the pressure on her wrists increased the more she struggled… Flashing Eien an almost terrified stare, the violinist blinked upon seeing his wide grin. Ely felt her whole body blush with infuriated embarrassment as he began to laugh.

"Eien, it's not at all funny," Ely grumbled breathlessly, shaking from the intense sensations rattling her nerves.

"It's not _my_ fault you get so easily flustered," Eien laughed still; his strong hands released her wrists, brushing up the length of her arms to weave lightly into her hair before he pressed his cool lips to her forehead. At that moment, the orchestra's five-minute bell ran, soon followed by a particularly loud thunderclap; Ely would have jumped if the roaring pulse in her ears had not drowned the sound out.

Finally exiting Ely's personal space, Eien smirked, releasing her completely from his grasp. His glance shifted to the backstage entrance as voices quickly began approaching; it was show time for Ely… Diverting his gaze back to the half-elf, who still seemed to be in shock, Eien back away into the shadows.

"Good luck," Eien winked once and vanished, leaving a trembling Ely still flat against the wall.

The first-year continued to stare after Eien, though he had disappeared, until she became aware of the other voices on stage. Snapping out of her shaky stupor, Ely realized that nearly everyone was on stage. Eien's presence…more so his latter actions, really, had completely revamped her whole mindset; for a moment, Ely couldn't remember where she sat, and she had to take a peek at the sheet music to remember even the first piece of the night. Finally taking up her instrument, Ely could have sworn she caught a glimpse of Eien's dark gaze, boring holes through her; his scene just moments before had bothered her quite enough… But with the first downbeat of the night, the half-elf was acutely aware of the long night ahead.


End file.
